In their second meeting of the year, the LaConner Braves arrived at Buck Park for a doubleheader Thursday, setting the stage for the Vikings last home event. After the Vikings annual Hit-A-Thon fundraiser Wednesday, the two games could easily be labeled the same with two dominate Viking wins.

The Vikings found themselves down 2-5 by the second inning in game one, but the Viking hitting machine was quietly revving up by the third inning with a single by Shelbi Rogers, a double by Alena Janssen, a 2 RBI triple by Kirsten Fowler and a 2 RBI single by Kathryn Tidwell, reversing the lead to the Vikings, 6-5. Unleashed, Viking power hit full pace by the fourth with two huge home runs, first by Alicia Jo Susol and then Bella Nigretto, both landing in the distant “tall grass,” a sure sign of a monster hit at Buck Park. Pitcher Aliviah Garcia then methodically exited three Braves, allowing the machine to resume work. A quick double by Tidwell, a triple by Lana Bronn and RBI’s by Susol, Nigretto and Janssen accelerated the Vikings to 13-7 by the fifth. Unrelenting in the sixth, massive Orcas hitting culminated with Rogers sliding into home plate, capturing a 17-7 victory, ten run rule applied.

The Braves opened the second game strong with a 5-0 lead after their first chance at bat. However, the Viking machine required no warming up with excellent base running and thievery by Huxley Smart, Tidwell and Bronn while Sofie Clure Thixton, Fowler and Bronn gathered RBI’s, advancing the Vikings 9-5. The massive, unmistakable crack of metal hitting ball meant another home run by Susol, advancing the score 11-5 at bottom of the first inning. Excellent pitching by Garcia and sticky tight fielding allowed the machine to churn even faster spurred by Bronn blasting a homer to deep center, and RBI’s by Rogers, Nigretto, Tidwell and Bronn, extending the score to 18-7 by the end of the third. A Clure Thixton double in the fourth brought in pinch runner Kilee Rogers and sister Shelbi, while Garcia and Tidwell RBI’s and a triple by Susol helped idle the Braves 25-9.

A smiling Coach Harris said “We hit the ball so hard, it was an important game for us going into districts as number one in 2B.” Saturday the Vikings play in Adna, Wash. – game time to be announced.